Fading sunlight
by Elsforever
Summary: Somethings wrong with Will, and Halt can't solve it. His friends are worried, what will they do?
1. Chapter 1 Something wrong?

The first chapter. Thanks to my beta reader JustaBunchaHOOPLA. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to write this. Thanks!

Chapter 1

Fading sunlight

He didn't know what was wrong with his old apprentice. He withdrew himself on every moment. Always tried to be alone. It was like a shell, slowly closing. No way of breaking trough. Halt himself was a loner, but Will always was an extravagant person, and he most certainly loved to be with his friends. But he hasn't seen them for a long time. Even Alyss. Halt was worried, but decided to see how it would go on.

In front of the cabin, on the porch, sat a young man lazily on a chair. His feet high on the wooden table and his lap filled with letters with important looking seals on it, all untouched. The man was reading a short note. Nice hand writing was displayed on it.

"I hope I will see you soon. I'm still on an important mission. Too bad it's taking longer than I thought.  
Love, Alyss."

A faint smile was still on the man's lips. He loved her so much. In fact, she was the only one who could bring him happiness. He didn't know what was wrong with him. But he felt so, so... He didn't know a word to describe the current feeling what filled his heart. His head was filled with dark thoughts. Slowly creeping up to poison him. Slowly the darkness moved through his veins, reaching everything, from head to toe. It was like a hunter waiting for his prey. It came at the most unfortunate moments. Mostly when he was with friends. Or at night. Nightmares hunt him down.

Eventually the man's eyes slowly closed. The sun, running to be ahead of the darkness, was lighting his face between the trees it had to squeeze through. From far ahead he heard a horse coming. But Will was sleeping too deep to hear him coming.

Halt saw this too. He trained the boy—man—he corrected himself, to sleep light. Otherwise, attackers could approach him without him knowing. That would cost him his life. And the strange thing is, he normally always sleep light. From the first weeks in Halt's apprenticeship on. But now…He needed to have a serious talk.

"Will," He heard the sound like it was from far away.

"Will!" again he heard the stern voice of his former teacher. With much willpower he opened his eyes, only to find Halt right next to him. Strange.

"Everything alright?" the man asked. Annoyed, he replied that everything was right. Grumpily he stood to get some coffee. He most certainly needed that. He missed the worried look on Halt's face when he walked in the cabin.

Will never was in a bad mood, only when there was a really good reason. Why did that change? Something must have happened. When Will walked towards the cabin, Halt didn't miss his body language. His shoulders were low, and he let his head hang low. He followed the boy inside. He was just done making coffee. He thankfully accepted the mug. But he immediately went to business.

"Are you done making your round through the fief? Because you only left yesterday." Will looked annoyed by this question.

"Yes, I'm done with my round. It was quiet. I haven't found any criminals. Not having to drag them back saves a lot of time." Halt had to agree with that. Because when you capture people, they have to walk back, so that cost loads of time. They spend the rest of the night discussing everything that went on in the country. Every question Halt asked will about the men's wellbeing was answered with a sullen "I'm fine" or just ignored. Well actually, almost every question answered was short as possible.

Finally, Will thought by himself when Halt left, some quiet. He didn't want all that annoying questions about his wellbeing. He was fine, he was sure of it. With this bad mood, he trudged off to bed.

The Temujai were right behind him. They already captured Horace and Halt. They came closer and closer. He already felt a hand holding his wrist. He tried to get the person away. But he only became more stubborn. He couldn't move at all. Suddenly he was in a forest. Everywhere were the same white trees. He couldn't focus. He knew an assassin of the outsiders was right behind him. He heard a "twang" of a tendon that got released. The arrow was on his way. His journey to kill Will. Just when the arrow was so close to reaching Will, he was again in another place. He saw Halt lying on the ground. He was dying, Will knew this look. He saw it when Halt was poisoned. He hurried towards the ill man, and tried to do everything he could. But it wasn't enough, Halt's breathing went shallow. But at the moment it truly stopped, he shot up. Halt's bloodshot eyes looked very angry. "It's your fault I almost died. You almost made my dear wife a widow. It's all your fault." He grabbed Will around his neck. Will couldn't breathe anymore. Halt looked very mad. But at the moment his vision went black he came again in a new room.

He was back in his bedroom. The sweat on his forehead slowly made his way down his face, on to his sheets, who already were drowned in sweat. He heart beat like he has been running for miles, and his breathing came in short gasps. His vision slowly faded from the forest back in to his bedroom. Again, a nightmare. He was tired of them. He has had them for weeks. Blue, almost black, rings were round his bloodshot eyes. His hands still trembled from the adrenaline.

_Something is seriously wrong with me,_ he thought.


	2. Chapter 2 I'm fine!

Yeah, I already have a chapter. Thanks to the fast work of my beta JustaBunchaHOOPLA. Don't get used to the fast updates. But I try.

Chapter 2

Behind my smile is everything you'll never understand

_Something is seriously wrong with me, he thought._

"Hey Horace, do you have a minute?" Halt asked while walking towards the knight. The large man nodded and followed Halt towards the trees. When Halt was sure nobody could eavesdrop them, he started speaking.

"Something's wrong with Will." Horace looked shocked at man before him.

Something wrong with Will? There was never something wrong with Will. But when he took a closer look at the man before him, he knew it was true. Halt always looked serious he knew, but now.

"But I don't know what it is." Continued Halt in a soft voice. "He won't talk to me." Will doesn't talk with Halt? Then it must be really serious. He always talked with Halt, or with him for that matter. But he hasn't seen him in weeks. He thought he was away, out of the country for a mission. Apparently not. A worried feeling settled in his stomach.

"Can you please go and speak with him?" the other man asked. Halt said please, then he must be really, really worried. And if Halt was really worried, then something must be terribly wrong. He promised the man to go and speak with Will as soon as the training was over.

"Will? Are you home?" he heard someone in his house. Shoot. Halt probably send Horace to speak with him. Annoying man, he knew he didn't mean that, but Halt was getting on his nerves. He was most certainly home. He lay flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling. But he wasn't going to tell that to Horace. He was supposed to be patrolling in the fief, so it wasn't too obvious. Eventually he heard Horace leave on Kicker. But when Will thought he finally had some quiet, he heard a higher female voice.

"Will, I'm back." With that, the woman entered the cabin, only to find him barely awake. "Are you okay? You aren't sick, aren't you?" She quickly walked towards him and laid a hand on his head. "You aren't running a fever."

"I'm fine." He answered "I'm just little tired from patrolling." This was a lie, but she didn't need to know that. Otherwise she would only be more worried. And he already had enough of those people. She eyed him critically, but decided to leave it.

Of course she saw the bags underneath his eyes. And that tired look in his eyes. But she decided to leave it. She knew Will didn't like it when she fussed over him. And she was to happy seeing him again. They went to the living room and he made some coffee, with honey of course. She smiled, he was so much alike his former teacher, but at the same time so different.

"Hey, what a coincidence. How nice to see you again, Alyss." Horace stood in the doorway.

Will sighted inwards, sometimes he had such annoying friends. He knew they meant the best for him, that they all cared for him. But he didn't need them. He forgot the silence to scream for help he made that night. He put on a happy face for his friends, and tried to participate in the conversation. But he found out he was easily distracted. His memories flooded to the time he was still happy. It was a long time ago. But almost four months ago, the nightmares started. And the guilt of almost letting Halt die. Deep inside he knew it was his fault Halt got wounded in the first place. He was Halt's backup. He was supposed to kill both those genovens. But he failed. And that's the reason Halt was dancing with death back then, on the edge of life and death. And just when he thought, he could have a nice chat with Alyss, Horace came around. How inconvenient.

They saw Will was brooding. His face went from the faked smile; they knew him long enough to see it was fake, towards a sad thinking face.

"Everything alright, Will?" Will was interrupted in his musing and must been quite far away, since he looked shocked. Like he didn't know they were still there. He immediately went back to his old self, but they didn't miss the irritated look in his eyes.

"Yes , I'm sure I'm okay. Stop asking!" Now he was really angry. They never saw him like that before. He shooed them out of the house and closed the door with a big bonk. The poor door's hinges sighted from the big hit they had received. They were shocked. They didn't know what happened to Will, but they never saw him like this. He was always friendly, and they certainly were never thrown out of his house. Alyss had tears in her eyes, almost leaking over. Horace laid a hand around her shoulder. And told her that they would find out what was wrong with Will. And they would help him. Although, he himself had no clue how to do that.

"He did what?" asked Halt and Pauline. They didn't believe it. Why would Will do that? Halt started to pace through the room. A thin hand on his shoulder made him stop. He grabbed it. Pauline knew Will was like a son to Halt, well she felt like she was his mother too. She was really concerned, but they to make a plan. A plan to make Will better. He had to be. Otherwise he wouldn't do things like this. The rest of the night they stayed making plans the heal Will. But in the end, they had a plan.

The man, hiding in the bushes, had a big smile on his face when he saw that Will kicked his best and most dear friend out of the house. His plan was working. In no time, Will would live be so isolated, just like he did with his life. And with Will being sick, Halt would be very worried. And then he couldn't do his job right. That would give him peace to do his "job". The dark headed man sneaked away, so he could come back in the night for his special mission. In seconds he faded with the background, like he never was even there.


	3. Chapter 3 Dying candle light

I know, not a lot of stuff will happen in this chapter, but everything is really important for understanding Will or the rest of the story. But, to make it upto you, it is a longer chapter!

Enjoy.

Elsforever

Chapter 3

They had a plan.

The day after their plotting, they immediately went on to action. They sent Alyss on her way to get the person they needed. All the people left behind agreed to be with Will as much as possible. Maybe that would help, although he didn't seem to enjoy their presence.

Will sat in his chair in front of the fire. The heat radiated on his skin. It was raining outside. He felt even worse than the days before. He couldn't even think of a nice moment in his life. If he tried, the bad memories of the moment would always come floating by. Like the moment he got his silver oakleaf. He knows he was really happy, but he could only think about the fact he has been dancing on the edge of live so many times because of it. He couldn't even imagine himself how it was to be happy. It was too long ago. It started really minuscule. A little bit moody. The occasional nightmare. But it got worse the more time went by. He was scared of himself, but also couldn't do anything to help himself. He just wished he could be his old self, who went to solve problems all over the world with his trusted friends Halt and Horace.

His eyes became heavy. This night again he had a nightmare. He couldn't sleep after it. It was just so real. He saw all his friends die in the war. All because of him. He couldn't shoot his bow anymore. He was afraid of dreaming again, so he tried to keep his eyes open. But the sleep fought hard and eventually claimed victory.

He heard the splashes of horses walking through the mud. Just a minute later, a short knock on the door presented the visitors. They walked in after that, not bothering to wait until he opened the door for them.

_Oh, how nice, _Will thought. There's Halt again. He didn't even take the effort of saying hello or coming out of his chair. Ah, apparently he has brought Crowley with him, double as pleasant. He gave them an annoyed glare.

"See what I mean?" He heard Halt say to Crowley. They both looked really concerned. How he hated those looks. He didn't deserve them. Didn't they see that? He didn't understand that they didn't get bored of always the same look. And if it wasn't the worried look, it was the fake smile. He got sick of it. He knew they both cared about him. But he almost killed Halt! He wasn't right for the job. He couldn't even protect his master. How could he protect a whole county? They saw him as a hero, but he was a failure. His thoughts were dark, but he couldn't find the candle to light them up. It was completely, utterly, totally, hopeless.

Yes, now he saw what Halt had in mind. He thought his friend was overreacting, but this was serious. Right now the young man was lost in his mind. A sad glimmer in his eyes. His face was empty without the usual smile, or at least the always present twinkle in his eyes. He just sat there in his chair at the fire. Apparently Will hadn't even left the cabin the last weeks, only to get the groceries. Because he didn't got out of the house, his work as a Ranger suffers from the body's odd behaviour. And that's the point Crowley had to step in.

"I heard you didn't do your Ranger's work for quite some while." If Will skipped the niceties, he would do to.

Will nodded; it seemed as if he didn't care at all. But Will loved his job!

"And why is that, may I ask?"

"No." was the response.

"No, what?" replied Crowley confused.

"No, you may not ask me the question." With that, Will left the house to walk towards the stables, and his faithful, loyal, friend Tug.

"All those annoying people, with annoying questions. You will not ask me anything, would you?" Will whispered to the horse. But he should have known better. Immediately Tug's eyes began to spit questions. The horse already felt his boss wasn't his old self.

"No, not you either." Mad, Will walked away from his horse out of the stable, not giving his most loyal friend a second glance. The two other Rangers saw that happen, and their worries increased tenfold. It was a good thing Alyss was busy making their plan happen. Otherwise they wouldn't know what to do. They were at the end of the road, a barren canyon stretching ahead of them.

"Are you sure?" asked the small man with a despairing glance.

"Yes, it _is_ really bad. Like I told you. He doesn't leave the house. He barely sleeps. He ignores everybody and doesn't answer any question we have to ask, because of the fact he doesn't talk to any of us. He threw me and Horace out of the house!" Alyss became really desperate at this point. Her boyfriend was sick, and this man was their last hope. Malcolm saw the look in the girls eyes change and lead the crying girl over to a bench to sit down.

"I am going with you, don't worry. This sounds really bad. I just have to fetch some stuff." The man had become really concerned when he heard Alyss story. He knew Will very well, and this doesn't sound like him at all. He always was full of positive thoughts, and he always made you smile. He talked a lot, and was really intelligent. It sounded like the light the man gave to others was gone. And now he had to come light it again. But Will had done so much for him; he knew he couldn't reject this desperate cry for help. He walked towards his friend, the giant Trobar and told him he would be away for a while, and why. As he explained, saw the look his friend gave him.

He knew Trobar was very fond of the man. He had always been very nice to him, and in return Trobar had saved Will's life. Trobar forgot he had done the same to Will. Suddenly the giant turned around and began walking towards his house; he signalled Malcolm to follow him. Not knowing what the man wanted, the smaller man walked fast to keep in line with Trobar. He smiled when he saw what the man wanted. Next to Trobar's small house lay Shadow with a nest of puppies. Trobar carefully picked one of the small dogs up. With a gentle scratch on the head, Trobar held the small creature in his hands.

"You want me to bring Ebony to Will, isn't that it?" Malcolm asked with a big smile on his face, he remembered the promise Trobar made towards Will, and the man thought that is was really good timing. Because it will probably help Will, no matter what it is. He gently took the little ball of fur from his old friend, and told him Will would really like this.

With the sleeping dog in his arms and his bag on is back he walked towards the now sleeping form of Alyss. She lay down on one of the benches; her face was still filled with concern etched in every line of her face. Her blond hair lay gently draped around the small frame of her face. The sun was fading and it made the lines in her faces even more prominent. He laid an hand on her shoulder, slowly shaking it to wake her up.

Her grey eyes were still clouded with sleep when she sat up; and she rubbed her eyes and asked, "Are we ready to depart?"

When Malcolm nodded, they went to the horses, packed everything into the saddlebags, and then took some provisions for the journey. With one last wave towards his people, Malcolm turned away and started towards the road to Redmont, Alyss by his side. The sun slowly set behind them until everything in the sky turned grey, like the sadness that filled their hearts with worries for Will.

They made the journey in silence.


	4. Chapter 4 worried thoughts

A/N Another chapter. The next one will take some time because I'm stuck..I have some real problems with getting Malcolm on the paper. He just realy hard to write. But I'm trying to get it done as soon as possible. Enjoy.

Elsforever

Chapter 4

"Will, you have to stop acting this way!" Halt desperately said. Will stood with his back towards the man, staring out the window. Ignoring his former master completely, he let his thoughts wander. He didn't see why they were still trying. He wasn't the old Will anymore, and they just couldn't believe he has changed. They told him something was wrong with him. He just got really angry and told them they were the ill ones, before throwing them out. Again. He knew that he wasn't right, but he just didn't see what others could do about it. He didn't even know how he became this way himself.

Halt was getting really annoyed with Will. The grizzled Ranger saw the kid as a son, but this was getting out of hand. He knew that, whatever had caused this situation, it wasn't Wills' fault. But he had ignored him for days now, unless he was being thrown out. And he was getting sick of being thrown out. He wanted to help the man, but Will was being extremely difficult. He couldn't wait until Alyss returned, this time with Malcolm. He needed the man _right now_. Malcolm was a trained healer; he would know what to do.

Pauline saw her husband was getting in a bad mood. She laid a calming hand on his arm. Halt looked up, a sad look on his face.

"I don't know what to do!" he cried. One tear found his way down his cheek, only to disappear in his beard. Pauline never saw him this sad since Wills' disappearing while he was still Halt's apprentice. But she knew why. He couldn't change anything in this situation. He couldn't do anything at all. And that's what bothers him. If Will was in a bad situation, he would ride to where he is and stand beside him. If he would be sick, Halt would go and make sure he became better. A silent voice in her head said that Will was sick right now. She knew that, but this was in his head, a mental illness. And they couldn't help with that.

"Alyss will be back later today," she reassured the man who was currently hugging her tight. She felt his arm drawing circles on her back, to calm her, but mostly to calm himself.

"I know," he said in a soft voice.

They finally reached the castle. But instead of going towards the big building, they made a turn towards the forest and followed a small path. When they reached the cabin Alyss saw that Halt and Pauline were already there, obviously waiting for them to arrive. She swung off her horse and saw Malcolm follow suit.

"I'm getting too old for this kind of long trips," he muttered while stretching his sore body. Pauline immediately came, strolling urgently yet gracefully towards him, Halt hot on her heels. Malcolm suddenly transformed into his professional self and started to ask questions about Wills' behaviour. He already questioned Alyss, but the situation might have changed in the time she was away. He was currently asking questions like if he ate regularly, when he slept, his behaviour towards his friends and stuff like that. His facial expressions changed from tired to worry.

"What's wrong?" Alyss asked.

She saw the change in the healer's facial features. He shook his head and said he would check on Will first before making conclusions.

When he entered the house, he saw it was rather dark inside. The fire burned slowly and weakly, barely sputtering out wisps of smoke. The living room was empty, so the man figured Will must be in his bedroom, since he never left the house. When he walked in that particular room, he saw Will lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Something he did a lot, according to Halt. He also noticed the big black circles around his eyes, and the paleness of what had settled on the skin of the man. He didn't even look up when he entered the room. Strange, Will was a ranger, and rangers were trained to notice everything, so his entrance couldn't have gone unnoticed.

"Hello Will," he said with a soft voice. Now Will did look up.

"What are you doing here, Malcolm?" he asked, with a concerned voice. "Anything wrong?" Malcolm frowned after this reaction.

"Yes, actually there is something wrong." Now Will sat up.

"What is it?" he asked, voicing his worry.

"Haven't you noticed anything?" Malcolm replied to the question. Now Will was the one with the frown.

"Well, if it has anything to do with me, you can go back. I'm not sick so I don't need your help." With that he lay back down and started to look at the ceiling again.

He would've known they would fetch Malcolm. Alyss had been away for a couple of days, suddenly, without explanation. Now he was really pissed off. He didn't need their help. They wanted him to act normal, to be a Ranger again. But Will knew, soon enough someone will die because of him, Halt was already so close. He couldn't let anything happen to the other people. He could explain it to them, but he knew they wouldn't let him be. They wouldn't understand.

But of everything they could do, they got Malcolm. Will knew something was wrong with him. And he knew Malcolm would find out. He didn't want that, he was weak. He had to heal it himself, than he would be strong again.

All this time Malcolm was still in the room. He saw Will was thinking, and he knew it were dark thoughts in his head. This boy was emotionally on the edge. He needed help, and fast.

Outside the house there was the cloaked man again, with a deep frown on his face. He hadn't counted on the fact they could ask help by a healer. Well, he knew they eventually would ask the help of a healer, but this healer knew Will. This man would see the drastic changes in Will and eventually become paranoid. He wasn't for nothing the best healer Araluen had ever known. Many believed the man was dead, or at least a wizard, but he knew better. But, he reassured himself, the stuff he used on Will were highly unlikely to be figured out, no matter how good the healer. The cure was ultra-rare. One in every thousand people knew it. He was reassured by this fact and leaned calmly with his back against the tree.


	5. Chapter 5 No, I won't!

Another chapter fresh from the presses. I'm sorry you have to wait so long. But me and my beta are really busy. We both have school and other stuff, so in the end, we only have time in the weekends. But I have one light point for you all, I'm already finished with chapter 6. So do you want me to speed up the process somewhat, and I let me upload the chapter quickly, Review! That always helps me :D

Also, I need a little favor. Would you please share your idea's on how you would heal Will. I need idea's. That's the point I'm currently stuck, and I'm not able to write more untill I have new ideas. So, please help this stuck writer *Looking at you with puppydog eyes*

Enjoy the chapter

-Elsforever-

chapter 5

_This boy was emotionally on the edge. He needed help, and fast._

"And?" Halt asked when Malcolm came out of the house. Malcolm just shook his head.

"It is really bad. It reminds me of depression, but worse. But that might be because of the fact that it has been going on for a while." With a sigh, the man sat down on one of the wooden chairs. He was tired. He has been riding all day, and what he saw of Will didn't make it better. Pauline quickly showed up with a mug of fresh coffee in her hands. Malcolm gratefully accepted the cup. He told them of what he saw and thought of the situation. Now Pauline and Halt's face became more upset while the story continued.

After that, they discussed various treatments, taking the pros and cons of each one. At the end of the conversation, they knew what they would try. With renewed confidence Malcolm, went in to the cabin once more.

"I don't know alright!" said the man angry. "I don't know if the healer knows about the poison, so stop asking questions!" he screamed towards his companions.

He started pacing, he was worried. Ten steps forward, turn, and ten steps back. They were in the middle of the forest. But the man realized it would be safer to stop screaming, someone who was hunting might hear him.

"Alda,-" a soft scared voice cut through the unbearable silence. The man, Alda, stopped pacing, and looked towards his old school companion, Bryn.

"What?" he replied, irritated.

"I'm sure that if the healer had noticed the drugs, the whole cavalry of the castle with Halt you found, would already be here."

He had a point, Alda saw that to. But he was still worried, they have been planning for years now, and although at the cabin he wasn't worried, but back at the camp they came back in full force. He knew it was almost untraceable, but if it was detected, they would be found in no time, that was the risk. They all knew that Halt would find them if he knew that he had to look. And he had crossed an angry Halt once, but didn't plan to do it again.

"Jerome, you will go to the cabin tonight, you know what to do." His evil grin came back, although it was very risky, he enjoyed seeing that little spy like this really much.

He lay on his bed; he knew they were talking about him. Again. He sighed and pushed himself off the bed. Slowly walking to the kitchen to get some water, he wasn't hungry at all. He lost a lot of weight already, but still he wasn't able to eat a lot.

He found out that the other adults were at the porch, his favourite place, but he knew Malcolm would not go away if he threw them out. He would wait as long as he had to until Will would let him in again. Thus, since his normal place to sit was occupied, he went to the sitting room, staring at the fire. It had a calming effect on Will.

Suddenly Will heard soft barking; it came from the other side of the room. Carefully he stood up and walked toward the sound, his eyes lit up when he saw the little ball of fur. It was a small dog, with one blue and with one brown eye. Trobar kept his promise; he now was the proud owner of a puppy from Shadow. He let his hand wander over the soft fur. The animal looked at him with intelligent eyes, she or he was defiantly a child of Shadow. Will could see that in every way possible. The way she wagged her tail, licked his hand, and her general posture resembled Shadow.

"Her name is Ebony." He heard Malcolm say from behind him. Shocked, he turned around, he hadn't heard the man come in. He was too preoccupied with the dog—Ebony—he corrected himself.

He saw Will liked the dog, Will didn't notice his surroundings, like him walking in. Ebony did look lazily towards him, and Will just thought she liked him scratching behind her ears.

"Her name is Ebony." Malcolm repeated in a soft voice, not to scare Will too much. The young man turned around quickly and stared in shock at the healer. But pretty fast Will's eyes went dull again. Malcolm knew that would happen, but to see it. It was quit disturbing.

"Will, could you do me a favour?"

The ranger just looked at the man, not responding, just a bored glance in his eyes. Will considered what he might have to do, and he decided to refuse.

"No," Will replied eventually, knowing it would be involving him and a treatment. And he most certainly didn't need any of that crap. He heard Malcolm sighing, but Will just left the room and went back to his time-killing hobby, staring at the ceiling.

"We have a plan now, we know what to do." Halt said gently to his wife, who had her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her slim figure, his hand resting on her waist. She nodded. Halt loved her so much, he never loved anyone like he loved her.

She really enjoyed lying like this. She got so much comfort out of this. He knew her so well, without actually saying this, he knew what was bothering her. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Well actually, more his beard.

"I love you" she whispered.

"Do I have to drink this?" Will asked with a face full of disgust. He didn't want to drink Malcolm's tea. It smelled horrible and he loathed tea. Coffee was his number one and only choice.

"Yes, you have to. "the healer said "And if you don't stop whining about it I will call Horace to pour it down your throat, you know he will gladly help in any way possible."

Malcolm said with an evil grin on his face. Now he was becoming scary, so Will gulped it down quickly. It tasted even worse than it smelled, and it almost came back up. But he managed to swallow, to his own surprise. Malcolm's face changed back to the patient nice healer that they all knew and loved. With his mood even worse than before, Will stormed out of the house, towards the stables.

"Annoying mind mixer." Will muttered under his breath. He didn't like it when people interfered with his life. And he most certainly didn't like the fact he was forced to have therapy with the man. _No way he let that happen_, he thought to himself while saddling Tug. He was going away. No need for them to worry anymore.

"Will!" he heard while riding as fast as he could. "WILL!"


	6. Chapter 6 Really?

****Yeah, the sixt chapter. Lots of drama, Lots of fluffyness. Not my best chapter so far. But I enjoyed writing this really much!

****Again, if you know a therapy to tread Will please review or PM me. Reviews are highly appriciated.

I noticed I haven't done a disclaimer yet. So, for those who thought Ranger's apprentice was mine, are highly mistaken. I don't own anything except for the plot.

-Elsforever-

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"_Will!" he heard while riding as fast as he could. "WILL!"_

He knew they were coming after him, he knew he had to be fast. Faster than he had ever been before.

"Come on buddy, we need to get away from them." He said to his horse, his voice filled with panic. He could already hear other horses behind them, coming closer towards him, to get him. Trying to drag him back to his home. His home, where he was forced to follow Malcolm's terrible therapy, where he was forced with the company of his "so-called friends". That wasn't home, that was hell.

Mostly the therapy, Malcolm told him what he was supposed to do, well, forced to do more likely. Drink awful tea, go outside a lot, talk about his problems. Like he was ever going to share his thoughts or his feelings, he never had and never will. He always was a closed person, more closed then Redmont's gold safe. He _wasn't_ letting them change that.

He had to get out of the house, before it could be his punishment, before he would go mental. And then he couldn't cause them any harm anymore. That would be perfect. A win-win situation. They could live their life, without Will around to shorten it with his dangerous behaviour, his stupid actions. He couldn't protect them, he didn't deserve their company. He needed peace.

* * *

"He's gone!" a high, panicked voice penetrated his mind.

"Who's gone?" asked Halt confused, his brow furrowed and already standing up. It could be Malcolm, or-

"Will is gone! He just left. Malcolm said he was angry for being forced in therapy, but he just ran away with Tug!" Alyss said, now panting with her hands on her knees, back curved. Tears were streaming on her face.

Halt immediately left the baron's office, leaving the baron himself behind without a second look. He ran to the stables and saddled Abelard and within a minute he was leaving the castle to follow his former apprentice. Now Will had done it, he wouldn't leave the boy alone anymore, he had proven to be unreliable. Will could try to kick him out, but he won't leave. He had to help him! It was his duty, and he failed it.

* * *

He saw the traces left by Tug's feet easily, so he could follow without having to slow done to look for it. He heard Tug right then and there, fast steps and rapid breathing. He guessed the breathing was from Will. While getting closer he also heard panicked sobs, and Will's voice screaming at Tug to move faster, to outrun him and Abelard. But Tug went slower, the horse knew something wasn't right with his master, and he wanted Halt to help him.

* * *

"No no nooooo! You have to get faster, not slower!" Will shouted. He tried to take a large breath, but he barely managed to get any oxygen in at all. Tears were falling freely, he didn't care anymore. He just wanted to get away. But his stupid horse only slowed in speed. There you had it, Halt grabbed the reins.

"Noooo-" he muttered to himself. He hadn't made it. He was too slow. Now he had to get back. Back to the therapy, back to his friends. He knew he was going to be watched all the time now. That didn't help his already bad mood. He finally managed to stop crying, and he could breathe normal again. But he didn't care, he never cared lately. It didn't matter; he had to get back… back to where he was before.

* * *

Halt felt pure relief wash over him when he was able to get to Will's reins. He grabbed them and made Tug stop. He could see Tug was confused, he didn't think his master was in his right mind, otherwise he wouldn't let Halt grab his reins and he most certainly wouldn't have listened to him. But he wanted desperately to see his master to be alright again.

"Shh," Halt said to calm the horse, after that he made him turn. Slowly they walked home together, Will with his hand down, he surrendered. All life was gone again, there was only a shell dripping with drying tears. Will locked himself up in mind and body, shielded everybody out. He seemed afraid. A soft voice broke Halt out of his musings, a simple word.

"Why?" Will asked. That was everything he needed to know. Why Halt got him back, why he had to go to therapy, and…why he mattered to them. He was in deep, and needed to get answer to the questions. Halt looked up to him, and he was thinking. He probably never thought of it, why he, a stupid little idiot, mattered to him.

"Because you matter to me. I care for you." were the next spoken words. A stunned silence surrounded Will. A confused look on his face. This sentence, spoken in Halt's familiar voice, meant so much to Will.

"How?" was all he managed to get out. He didn't see how anyone could love him. He was a failure.

Halt's eyes showed a little twinkle, but it died quickly.

"From the moment you started the apprenticeship you began to matter more and more to me. I couldn't stop it, but I didn't want to stop it either."

* * *

The rest of the way home nobody said anything. Halt left Will with even more to think about. When they were back at the cabin, Will got a kiss from Alyss, and a scolding from Malcolm, but the words of Halt were the only ones that reached his soul.

_"I care about you." _ringed in his ears for the rest of the night. Will wasn't able to sleep that night, unsurprisingly. Only after Malcolm found out, Malcolm slept in the other room next to his, and gave him something, only then Will was able to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7 I want coffee!

_Another chapter. I hope you'll enjoy. Not much happens here. And this chapter was a awfull one to write. I'm not nearly done with chapter 8, sorry. And then it still has to be betaed. So, I geuss next weekend? At least I hope so._

_You know the drill, please let me know what you think!_

_-Elsforever-_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Will sighed, he just woke up, and immediately Malcolm stood next to his side. The other man had insisted on him having breakfast, every single day. And after Will had left his room to go and get it, he found out Halt was sitting in the living room. The man was following his every move. Will was annoyed, to say the least.

It was already three days since he had run off, and he hadn't been alone since. There had always been somebody. If it wasn't Halt, it was Horace. And if it wasn't Horace, it would be Alyss or Pauline. And he didn't even start speaking about Malcolm. The healer was like a shadow, and Will was unable to shake the paranoid man off. To speak of the devil, he now stood right in front of him.

"Here is your tea, Will. And yes, you have to drink it." Malcolm said. He already knew Will would complain, like every time he received it.

It was disgusting, he really didn't think it was healthy, otherwise his body wouldn't mind keeping it down, would it? With another sigh he grabbed the hot cup and headed towards the fire, completely ignoring the old man until now.

"Morning," Will grumbled while walking past Halt. He didn't see anything good in it, so he refrained from saying so. He was sure Halt noticed he never said "Good morning," or anything to the same effect. Happily, he realized he didn't say anything about it. That made the man a little more sufferable, but not much.

To let his mood sink deeper, he saw Halt was the proud owner of a cup of coffee, something he wasn't allowed to drink, according to Malcolm. He also noticed there was a plate on the table, filled with food. Will felt the nausea wash over him in high waves, just of the thought of eating all that food.

With a scowl on his face he picked it up and started eating; knowing that if he didn't started to do that soon, Halt would force feed him. It happened once, and Will didn't want to repeat it. Horace had held him down. Will normally would have to fight hard, and with his brains to claim victory over the knight, but his body had weakened over all this time of no physical activity, so it was an impossible task. Halt had forced the food in his mouth. The worse thing was, they didn't seem to regret it, and they had thought it was for the best! Can you believe that?

* * *

"Will you come with me?" asked Malcolm, when Will was done eating. Malcolm saw Will pale at the thought of more torture. Still the young man nodded. Together they walked towards the stables, sitting down against the wall.

"This will be my first therapy session, isn't it?" Will asked, a quiver in his voice, but his face seemed determined. If he had to do the therapy, he better get healthy too!

Malcolm nodded, and they started talking. About nothing, about everything, about anything. Still, Will avoided speaking about his thoughts, he wasn't ready. He didn't want anybody in his head.

* * *

"Do you really think it will help him?" Halt asked the healer, after the short man was done with Will.

"Yes, I won't say to you what I talked about with him in confidence, but I can say for sure he needed as much friends around as possible. And the man will be able to do his job from here, so that won't be much of a problem." Malcolm confided. He had already told the Ranger he wouldn't speak about the things he was going to talk about with Will, nor would he tell Halt what Will told him.

The man wasn't too happy when he heard it, but after a good conversation with his wife, he gave in. Halt could be a stubborn old man if he wanted to, and he could be really annoying, but he just wanted the best for Will. The healer knew that, and shared the opinion, but had other views on the how in the equation. They had had lots of arguments already, and Malcolm was there for just five days, now.

* * *

Will sat in the chair in front of the fire. The rain was trying to wash away the world, the lightning attempted to put it on fire. Malcolm was in the castle, talking to Horace. Halt was away on a mission and Pauline had a job to do. The same went for Alyss. Will was finally alone, surprisingly enough. And he was enjoying it very much.

With Ebony on his lap sleeping, his feet propped up on the table and a mug of fresh made coffee in his hands. He still wasn't allowed to drink it, but he couldn't resist the temptation. He had had therapy for five days now, and yet he hadn't told Malcolm anything about his true feelings. He wasn't able to, he was ashamed.

His friends wouldn't understand; they would try to make him feel better. They had tried that for a week and a half week now, and if anything, he felt worse. It was hard for a loner to be around people all the time. And it didn't get better while knowing they were keeping an eye on him day and night, no matter what. The strange thing was, a few months ago he wasn't a loner, if anything, the more people the better. But people change their minds at the same speed that the wind needs to change direction. He was a living example.

Will got lost in his brooding; he jumped when someone stepped in the room. It was a tall man with a sword on his hip. Seeing the potential treat, Will jumped up, receiving a growl from Ebony in return.

* * *

The weather was awful. He had been riding for hours now, trying to get to his friend as soon as possible. His wet hair slumped down his face, rain drops pricked at his eyes, tears threatening to spill over. Soon he saw the dark landscape fading in familiar shapes. He had been her for a long time in his youth. He knew every village, every brook, every nook and cranny. After another hour, he saw the great castle of Redmont coming in to sight. He steered Blaze towards the forest, and disappeared between the three's. He quickly arrived at the cabin where he knew where Will was.

He put his horse in the stable next to Tug, then stumbled to the door, his frozen limbs protesting at every move. He knocked, but didn't get a response. So he just walked in, his eyes squinting against the sudden light.

_Will got lost in his brooding; he jumped when someone stepped in the room. It was a tall man with a sword on his hip. _

He noticed Will jumped up quickly, an expression of fear mixed with shock on his face.

_Seeing the potential treat, Will jumped up, receiving a growl from Ebony in return. _

"It's me, Will," The man paused. "Gilan."

* * *

A/N

Another chapter done. What did you think? What should happen now? I'm all in for suggestions!


	8. Chapter 8 Problems arise

**Hello, another chapter. Right on time. I noticed I forgot to tell you for a while about my amazing beta JustaBunchaHOOPLA. Thanks!  
**

**And thanks to you all for your hearth warming reviews. It really motivates me, although I have barely time to write.  
**

**And here comes the drama. Poor Will. He never gets his peace, doesn't he?  
**

**Elsforever  
**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

* * *

"_It's me, Will. Gilan."_

* * *

Will looked positively shocked. He hadn't expected his friend to show up, and most certainly not in this condition. Gilan looked like he had been swimming, and there already was a pool of rainwater at his feet.

But still, this meant he wasn't alone anymore. And another set of eyes to watch him, to follow him, to judge him. Will turned angry at the idea at once. Don't they see what he wants? Don't they see what he needed? Silence. Peace. Not talking. Not forced therapy. And definitely no stalking him around the house.

* * *

Two weeks later his wish was fulfilled. He guessed this whole situation got normal. It was normal and he was sad. That is, nothing was pitiful. He didn't receive many visits from friends anymore. Halt went on a mission. He even wrote a letter to Gilan. Halt had asked the young Ranger to keep an eye on him; Gilan could easily do his job from here. But Gilan wasn't as bad as Halt. Lots of the time he was gone, or sleeping, or spending time with Jenny. Those two were in love for sure.

He loved Alyss too. But she couldn't handle seeing him like this anymore. She couldn't look at him without a sad glance in her eyes. She loved him when he was happy, she couldn't live with the fact that he was changed. Pauline had sent her to Celtica for a diplomatic mission. She thought it would do her good, being away. She is running from him, he realised. The truth hit him hard in the face. Nobody wanted to be around him anymore. Even Horace had gone back, he was needed in Araluen, he said. He said, was he right? The distrust was flaming in his heart. What about Alyss? Maybe she wanted to lose him, dump him. Find a new partner, someone who was happy all the time. The doubt was consuming him. Waves of insecurity washed over him, he doubted everything. Nothing was sure. He was losing touch to reality.

* * *

When Gilan came back from patrolling, he noticed Will was sitting on his bed, staring to something unseen.

"You alright there, Will?" he asked, after waiting for a while, without getting any response. The way Will reacted was completely different then Gilan had expected.

"Go away! That's what you want, right? Just go away." Will's voice got higher and higher, and he began to scream. His mind filled with paranoia. Gilan tried to calm him down. But failed. Then, Malcolm rushed in.

"Calm down Will. We want to help you. Calm down. Breathe with me." The calm healer said, although his eyes were filled with concern. He thought Will was doing better. Will even tried to talk about his thoughts, although it was very difficult for him. This was a huge step backwards.

Will was filled with distrust. He couldn't trust them. They were plotting against him. That's why he feels like this. He's drugged, they did it. He knew it. They couldn't trust him anymore, with everybody being in danger around him. He had to get away. Again. But now forever. He turned around and jumped out the window, and run towards the stables.

* * *

The rain was pouring down on him, Will didn't care. He had grabbed his bow, and jumped on Tug. He hadn't even put on a coat. No time. Quickly he turned towards the forest, fading with the background. The rain washed every trace of him being there away. Gilan would have a hard time following him. He didn't hear the footsteps of Blaze behind him, even though he didn't dare to slow down.

He was running away, again. The horrible truth dawned on Will. It hit him hard on the face. Halt will be furious. Even Will got a bit scared at the idea, and there was a shiver crawling down his spine. But he had to get away. They were plotting against him, Malcolm probably wanted to know his thoughts so he could blackmail him. And the others weren't worried, they wanted to make him a prisoner in his own house. He forgot he himself didn't want to come out.

* * *

Gilan tried to follow Will, but quickly lost the trail. Will hadn't lost his tricks. He had sent Malcolm to notify Halt, and though he didn't want to see the old man's face when he heard he let Will ran away again. Without getting him back immediately this time, like Halt did. So he needed Halt, really bad.

He searched the whole forest that night. No trace of Will. The rain stopped early in the morning, and Halt arrived for help not much later. They didn't find anything to lead them to the young Ranger, who was clearly out of his mind, and lost every sight to reality.

* * *

Suddenly Will heard footsteps, and the unmistakable sound of muck sucking at the bottom of the sole. Slowly there came a man into vision. He wore black clothes, and his face was shielded from sight in the shadow of its hood.

"Well, hello Ranger Treaty. I haven't seen you in a while." Alda said, looking up with an evil grin, while Bryn and Jerome came from behind. Surprising Will, they quickly pinned him to the ground.

"No no no, no struggling. You're going with us." Alda's grin grew even wider when he saw Will's resigned face.

_"We need you."_

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed. I did my best.**

**Review please. It makes me really happy, and it helps a lot.  
**

**-Elsforever-**_  
_


	9. Chapter 9 How?

**I'm sooooo soryy. I was so busy. I was swamped with work, almost drowned in it to be exact. But I finished it. And I have a guest beta reader, big applause to Bralt. Thank you so much. You should check out his/her(?) story's. They're amazing.  
**

**Again, sorry for the delay. I hope you still like the chapter. I was kinda out of the story, and it was hard to get back in. But I hope you will enjoy it.  
**

**-Elsforever-  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"_No no no, no struggling. You're going with us." Alda's grin grew even wider when he saw Will's resigned face._

* * *

"You know, when I was young, I always looked up to the corps of rangers. I even was a little bit scared of the 'Great' Halt. Yes, I admit it. But you changed it, you little spy. My loyalty was punished, because of YOU!"

Alda's face changed from calm to furious. The last word he had even screamed. He had to vent some steam. He looked at the face of his opponent, his enemy, his prisoner. It was filled with fear, but also determination. Alda knew he would break that out of him soon. His mood lit up at the thought. He slapped him once hard in the face.

Alda had been pacing for quite a while, seemingly lost in thought. Will feared him. The man who now hold him hostage changed from calm to angry in a short amount of time. Will didn't like it. His cheek still burned from where he had been slapped in the face. They didn't like his attitude. Like there was any normal, sane, logical thinking human being who didn't want to escape when some angry man tried to take him. So now, he had been hit two times. Both on his right cheek. It was burning red now. Alda seemed to like to slap with his right hand.

Will had been sitting there for a while now thinking. Will was mad at Alda and his friends. But mostly at himself. He let this happen. How could he not see this coming**?** He was such an idiot. Halt must be very disappointed. Will felt so guilty. What had he done**? **Everybody had helped him, and he pushed them away. He wanted to say he was sorry so desperately, but he would probably never get the chan**c**e. He closed his eyes to stop the tears from leaking. He didn't want to cry. He wouldn't give Alda the satisfaction.

* * *

Everyone told him to stay calm. Malcolm, Gilan, Allyss, even his wife! How could he stay calm?They had found signs of a struggle but they couldn't see where the trail headed. It just vanished**;** like it had been washed away.

He fumed, he didn't know who had taken Will but he hated them nevertheless. He was sick, how could they do this to a sick boy**?** He couldn't call him a man. He saw the eyes of Will. So sad, so desperate, so fearful. Of himself. Will was scared of himself he realised. But it was too late. They had to find him. He had to help Will.

He cared so much for the boy. Just a couple of months ago they had been on mission. He and Will, together. They had been a flawless team, as always. They caught the bad guys, some robbers who had been terrorizing the whole country. It had been a gang. Forty-three members. It was difficult to get them to the nearest station, but will came up with a brilliant idea, as always.

They had been tied to each other. Their feet, to be exact. Hands were bound too, and those ropes had been held by Will and himself. It worked, no one escaped. Though the criminals hadn't liked it. He grinned to himself as he thought back about it. Good old days. They will come back, he told himself sternly. Will will come back, he thought sadly.

* * *

They told the baron. They were having a big search party. The baron was enraged. How dare they take a ranger. He wanted to let everyone know what happened when you pulled a stunt like this. He was very fond of Will, and that only helped his determination to find the man.

"What's the status, General**?** Any sigh of Will or his kidnappers?"

"No, my lord. I'm sorry." The man standing at his side was brand new in the castle. T was a young man, maybe thirty, and had just been promoted. He came from Meric. They told him the man was very good, and he was indeed. He was very loyal and talented as a leader. The perfect combination.

On his other side was the battle master, and close friend, Rodney. They had been looking for Will for a whole day.

When Alda went back to the prisoner, who was tied to the three he sat against, he saw the change in posture of the man. His shoulders hunched forwards, his head down.

"Well I see we won't have to give you anything for your mood today, you ruined it well by yourself."

"You did that?" Will asked, as his head snapped up**, **his eyes flaming.

"I wouldn't want to take all the credit myself, Bryn and Jerome helped too." Alda said, his face was blank, showing no emotion. But it started to show smugness as he went on. "But yeah, it was pretty much my idea in the end. Do you like it?"

Will simply ignored the last question. This made so much sense. No, it didn't, but Will knew it wasn't his fault. He didn't make himself feel this way. But…

"How?" he asked, confused.

"That's something I know, but won't tell. But I can tell you this. It is done in your weakness."

Well, Will didn't exactly learn much from this answer. Which weakness? He had a lot of them. But then it struck him. The one they meant, he knew he was right. There couldn't be another way.

"No." he said. It couldn't be. They didn't, they wouldn't. Wouldn't they?

**Hahahaha, evil me. Figured it out yet? I'm so mean. I have a lot of clifhangers lately. Hope you don't mind (I know you do, I see it on your face.)**


	10. Chapter 10 Evil Alda

**A new chapter. Number 10 already. Thank you all for the reviews! Forthy! I'm so happy. I will not have frequent updates anymore like before. But I try to write it in a short time as possible. I am away all the time, as is my beta. So we have some problems sometimes, but she's BACK! JustaBunchaHOOPLA , thank you. Wow, long authors note.  
**

**Enjoy  
**

**-Elsforever-**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"Good morning, our favourite little captured spy. You don't have many clever tricks up your sleeve now, do you?" Alda drawled, waking Will with a start.

…

Will tried to crawl away of the large man, but a fraying rope stopped his attempt. Alda backhanded him in the face, warning him not to try anything that implied escape.

Will was afraid, he was been held captured for more than a week. In the week his hunger was gone, even though he didn't get any food. His whole mind was filled with pain. He wanted to believe in Halt and Horace so badly, that they would save him, but the more time he was in this hellhole, the more he started to believe it will never happen.

But he had to believe in it, hope was the only thing he had left. They had been hitting him, beating him all the time. New bruises formed over the old ones, layer over layer. Every fibre in his body screamed pain. Only because they wanted revenge for something they did themselves. He was their scapegoat. Luckily, Alda stopped this time with only a kick aimed to his feet.

…

He saw Will was relieved as he walked away. He saw the face of the man tied to the tree was filled with pain, mixed with terror as soon as one of us came walking towards him. He went to his saddle bag. There he found a little linen bag with herbs in it. Forebo, to be precise.

That was what Will had been taking for weeks without him knowing, up until that moment. Before, he had just put it in his coffee beans. That man couldn't go without his coffee.

Will had gone to retrieve one sack of coffee beans each Friday; they found that out pretty quick after some careful observation. The shopkeeper made it ready before the Ranger came to retrieve it, so it was an easy to slip the drug in. Bryan had worked at the shop at some point, but that was before they kidnapped Will.

The only thing was, it had affected everybody who was in the cabin drinking coffee. Luckily, nobody stayed long enough for it to affect them. Even if it did, they thought it was because they were worried about their friend. Worry did funny things to your head. And soon enough, they were kicked out. Only the healer had stayed long enough, but the man barely drank the poisoned brew.

Alda walked back to the tree, noticing Will still tried to escape. He couldn't blame him; he would do the same if he was in his position. But he still kicked him, he couldn't show any pity. Not that he felt pity in the first place. He enjoyed it.

…

"Open up." Alda snarled. Will kept his mouth firmly shut. He didn't know why they kept giving it to him, but he was sure it was not for a good reason. Not for him.

"Not really cooperative today, I see." Alda's voice was cold, and filled with anger and resentment. He made Will open his mouth with pure force. After putting the herb in, he held his hand over Will's nose and mouth. Then he was forced to swallow it if he wanted some air. After he noticed his Adam's apple moving up and down, he moved his hand. The man just left Will there, barely conscious after being deprived of air for so long.

* * *

Halt sat on the chair in front of the baron's desk. His eyes were rounded with deep blue, almost black circles. But even more noticeable were the eyes himself, filled with fear, anger, misery, and pain. He looked the same all week long. When Will was captured by the Skandians, at least he knew where to look for him. Now he had no clue, he could be anywhere in Araluen by this time. Still, he had the feeling he was close, even if he couldn't find a trace of his former apprentice. How had the people who took Will done that? Rangers were experts at this kind of thing.

…

"No sign of him, I see?" Baron Arald asked, his voice filled with worry. For all he knew Will could be death. He didn't want to think of the worst possibility, but it was there. Halt kept insisting he was sure Will was alive, he just_ felt _it. The baron didn't know; did Halt feel it because he wanted it so badly; or was it real? He knew the two options were really close, especially in desperate situations.

* * *

"Any ideas?" Sir Rodney asked Gilan. They sat together at the fire in the Rodney's quarters. It was sparsely furnished, but it wasn't lacking comfort. Gilan leaned back with a sigh.

…

"Nope, I'm completely blank. You?" Gilan replied. Rodney put his head in his hands, thinking. He knew they didn't cross the border of the fief just yet. They had started with stationing soldiers there after the news had reached him. They had searched everywhere. They didn't know how many men had taken the Ranger, if it was planned or not.

"What if Will's behaviour had something to do with it?" Gilan's voice broke through his musings. That was a possibility. They didn't know how it happened. And he seemed to get sadder the longer they were in the cabin. It was a realistic option.

…

"What exactly do you mean? How?" Rodney asked. Gilan thought for a moment, and when he looked up, a determined face looked back to the battle master.

"Let's find out."

* * *

**Please review. I want to reach the fifthy. *Puppy eyes looking at you***

**It wasn't a cliffie this time. How nice, don't you think? Hope you enjoyed. I did like this chapter.  
**

**-Elsforever-  
**


	11. Chapter 11 You're evil!

**Sorry about the long wait. I had a majore writers block, I had no motivation and ff was stupid. It took me quite some time to get the document to my beta.  
**

**But, it is a longer chapter. And, thanks to JustaBunchaHOOPLA and Bralt. Check them out! I hope you guys don't mind how I ended the chapter (Oh, how mean of me, now you are already anxious even before you read the chapter). Please review at the end! And thanks to the reviews I already got. They were amazing!  
**

**After all this useless chatter, go and read it!  
**

**-Elsforever-**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_"What exactly do you mean? How?" Rodney asked. Gilan thought for a moment, and when he looked up, a determined face looked back to the battle master._

_"Let's find out."_

* * *

Pauline let herself sink in the couch, next to her husband. He had a distant look in his eyes. He hadn't slept much in the past days, and had also neglected to eat. Normally, he lectured everybody around him to take care of their own needs.

...

He hadn't been this lost when Will was taken by the Skandians. But for it to happen right under his nose, it struck his heart with ice-cold pangs of emotions. He knew something was wrong with his former apprentice, but hadn't thought of a bigger plot.

...

"Maybe you should get some other Rangers to help," Pauline suggested with a soft voice, while she snuggled against him, laying her head on his shoulder. She felt her husband tense on the words.

...

"I can't," he said. "That would mean leaving, and getting tangled up with all these other people. I would have to get word out and that wastes time." With a swift movement he stood up, grabbed his stuff and walked out the door, leaving his sad looking wife behind, lonely on the couch. She could see he wasn't thinking right. Caught up in the moment, vision clouded by his fears for what happened to Will.

* * *

The next morning, when they arrived at the cabin, they were greeted by silence. Malcolm had a room in the castle now; he could be of more help there. Gilan put the horses in the stable next to the little cabin. Inside, it was cold, even though it was spring. The morning sun shone through the windows, showing them the inside of the home. Everything in the cabin looked the same as always. The chairs in front of the fire, Will's bow and quiver filled with arrows hung on pegs beside the wooden door. It was just like Gilan remembered from his years in apprenticeship with Halt.

...

"What will you do now?" Rodney asked. He didn't know what Gilan's plan was.

...

"We assume Will was poisoned, right?" Gilan said, and went on when the battle master nodded.

"It could have been in some kind of lotion or salve, although one; Will would have noticed that, and two; Will hates lotions." He said that last part with a grin, thinking of one times when Will was bitten by a snake and had been given a salve to rub on the bites, along with some antidote for the mild poison. He had profoundly refused to rub it on, giving on hell of a fight, and a very grumpy Halt had ended up doing it for him. But Gilan couldn't afford to be distracted, and he went back to business.

"Then it must be given by food." Rodney said as Gilan walked towards the kitchen. He started to look in all the cabinets, looking for strange smelling food. "Wouldn't they want to put it in something you use a lot? So no fresh groceries and produce, I guess." Rodney commented, while he joined in the search.

They both went with their nose in the cabinets in search of the intoxicated food, thinking of possible things it could have been mixed into.

* * *

"Come on boy, we have to get out of here." Halt said in Gallica to his horse Abelard. He would look under need every stone he would pass if it would help him find Will. He had grabbed his camping things; he had made a trip to the kitchens to get food, and everything else he should need. He felt bad for leaving Pauline alone like this. But she didn't understand, this was a matter of life and death possibly. Gilan would know why he did this; he would explain it to his love. With that thought, Halt left Redmont behind.

* * *

Will lay slumped down on the ground. His wrist hurt and throbbed, every bit skin scraped away by the rope. All his skin was covered with bruises, yellow underneath blue. It made a colourful pattern, but it was anything but happy. His face was an unhealthy pale colour because of the blood loss. He heard footsteps approaching him, but couldn't get his eyes open, all his energy drained. If he hadn't had two black and blue swollen eyes, you would see the bags underneath them.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Alda grinned. To get him to 'wake up' properly he kicked his already abused and fractured ribs.

"I have good news, you probably want to hear." Will was sure he didn't want to hear it. He could hear the amusement in the voice, the challenge was what lay in it, he wanted Will to take the bait. But he wouldn't. That dignity was something he held on to with all his might. He just wanted to get revenge on this pitiful human, but didn't have the strength.

"We just captured another one. A beautiful woman, about your age. I'm just done with her. She is still screaming, asking for you. She thinks you will come to save her. But we both know how that will end." There was a devilish glint in the man's eyes. This man was sick, he didn't know what conscience was, and most certainly didn't own one. In Will's mind dawned the reality, the truth. This bastard had captured Alyss. Nobody else would scream for him.

"I believe she said her name was Alyss." At this sentence all his fears came true, the world crashed down on him. He would do everything to save the most important person in his life. He would give his life for her.

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**O no, allys is captured. What will happen now? Let's find out in the next chapter, because I won't give any spoilers. Again, I'msorry for the long update, but it will take a while before the next one will be up. I'll go away for some time in a couple off days, and I haven't written the next chapter. So, be prepared.**

**Something different. I'm really curious at how you guys will think the story will continue. What will happen in the next chapter you think? Please tell me!**

**-Elsforever-**


	12. Chapter 12 Coming closer

**Finally, another chapter. Sorry for the long wait. I had a wonderfull, but long vacation in the middle of nowhere, which means, no computer. And when I came back, I had major writersblock. Which, by the way, really sucks. But it's finally there. Can't say it's an awsome chapter, or something, it's really awfull in my opinion. But I hope you can at least enjoy it a little.**

**As always, please review!**

**-Elsforever-**

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**Chapter 12**

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After Gilan heard his old master had disappeared in the forest to go look for Will, he followed him without a second thought. He immediately got back on Blaze and ignored the soldier who told him the news. Within an hour, he had caught up with him. Halt didn't even look up when he arrived.

"Hello, Gilan." Were the only words he had spoken.

Halt knew the man would follow him, and he was grateful for that. He knew the gratefulness shone through to his eyes, displayed all out for Gilan to see, but he didn't mind. He went back to studying a map he knew by heart, but one could never be too careful. He was methodically searching in the woods. Square inch by square inch. The forest held no secrets for him, and still he hadn't found a trail. It puzzled and frustrated him, even confusing him at points. But he knew it didn't help, it only clouded his thoughts. Together he and Gilan would continue the search.

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Alda, Bryan and Jerome sat together under the abnormally tall tent, while the rain poured down on the top of their shelter. Alda took a sip of his hot coffee. It was freezing cold this night, he couldn't even imagine how cold and miserable Will must be feeling. He smirked.

"I guess we fairly broke him." They all shared a laugh over this. Will had been a tough guy, but they had found his weak spots. They didn't really have Alyss, but it was fun to make Will believe they did.

"He really seems to love her." Jerome commented, deep in thought. "They must be engaged by now." Alda's face darkened at the mention of it. He had liked Alyss when he was still in Redmont, training as a knight. He rarely even saw her, as she was from the Ward. Will had been the one that forced them to leave, and he took his girl that he had admired from afar with him.

"That won't be for long." Alda said with an evil smile.

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"Halt?" Gilan said. He had tried to talk to the man all day, he had just ignored him. They were now sitting around a newly built fire, their camp set up in the forest. It felt strange, given the fact they were so close to Halt's cabin. Halt merely grunted in response, but he did look up from his coffee.

"Rodney and I think they, the kidnappers, have been poisoning Will for weeks. We think it was in the coffee, before you picked it up at the shop every week." Halt looked questionably back to his former apprentice.

"Where do you base that assumption on?" Gilan thought for a moment, searching for the right words to explain the situation.

"Coffee would have masked the scent and taste of any poison. Also, right after Will's disappearance, the new men in the shop disappeared with him. You would've thought they'd've been smarter than that."

Halt asked a bit more about the strange men, until they were shocked out of their brainstorming session by an approaching person in the distance. Once he came near, the man spoke. He didn't seem to be rushing or trying to hide himself, as far as Gilan and Halt would tell. They decided to let him come nearer. They were shocked when they saw the face.

"I thought you would like some help."

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Alyss and Pauline sat together on the couch. They started with talking about the missions Alyss recently had, and which had to be completed immediately. But soon the topic trailed away until it reached Will. Pauline told the other girl what Halt had done. They both understood why he did it, and they had told Horace. He was still in Redmont, unable to go home until Will was found.

Horace couldn't think about other possible ideas, but knew the more time passed by, the bigger the changes became. After he heard that Gilan and Halt had disappeared into the forest, he went to help them. He wasn't of much use in the castle or the cabin. But, he knew the likely spots they would camp, after going on missions together. After two possible spots, he found them.

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"I thought you would like some help." Horace said, walking closer to the two Rangers. In the light of the fire they recognized his clean shaven face. After the pleasantries, they exchanged what they found. Apparently the baron had caught wind of the missing worker too, and it turned out to be a traitor. Or at least they thought so. Nobody knew him, he just appeared out of nowhere with nowhere. Conclusions are made fast. They shop owner had told him how he looked. He looked as if he had been trained as a knight or soldier of some sort, tanned skin and big muscles. He had a dark skin and brown, almost black.

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After a good nights rest the continued the search. The sun had started to rise, and redeemed the forest of the dew. They worked in silence until Gilan found something.

"Halt! You have to come. I think I found something." Halt was immediately at the other men's side, and Horace followed short after. Halt saw what Gilan mend. Under need a bush was a faded hoof print. Saved from the rain. It pointed in the north direction. After they headed that direction they found more prints. Unable to be found if you didn't know they headed that way. Unknown to both parties they became closer and closer.

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**Review please ^^**


	13. Chapter 13 Finally

**And finally, the long awaited rescue scene. It was awfull to write, but I think it came out just fine. Tell me what you guys think of the fight scene. It really is harder to write then it seems.  
**

**Enjoy ^^  
**

**-Elsforever-**

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**Chapter 13**

"Calm down Gilan!" Halt's grumpy voice cut through the silence. Gilan was walking faster and faster. It was an action Halt understood, but they had to be cautious. They could be caught in a trap, and they didn't know how far away from the camp they were. Plus, the quicker you walked meant the chance to miss out on a crucial lead, and if you weren't prudent enough, you could be noticed and sabotaged. Gilan knew he was going too fast, and he knew what the consequences could be. They could be deadly, for them and for Will. But on the other hand, in his irrational part of his brain, he was so worried. He wanted to see that Will was alive. He wanted to kill the bastards that had taken his very best friend.

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Will was very cold. Colder than he had ever been before. Not just cold, he was frozen to the bones. His muscles were cramping with pain from being frozen. He sat in the merciless rain, who continued to pour down onto him, determined to get him to wash him away, to make him give up, literally and figuratively washing him away.

The only picture in his mind that kept him going was Alyss. His love, his life. They were engaged, the planned on having their wedding in two months. Everything was already arranged. But then this monster came, first letting him forget about love and happiness. There was sickness in his mind, poison in his veins. And now, having him and Alyss both captive. It didn't seem real, it seemed like one of the books Alyss would read, tragedies and dramas that she loved. He hated Alda so much, but couldn't do anything. He felt the strength leaving his body, as the days gone by, bit by bit, piece by piece, part by part. It was _excruciating. _Cracks had broken mercilessly through his mental shield, causing him to break down. They won, Will lost. He was finally, completely, utterly, broken.

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Halt was getting worried. More worried than he already was. They had been following the trail all day, but still hadn't found the camp. But then he heard it. Soft murmuring, shifting of bodies. The sun was moving slow but surely to the horizon, and you could already feel the cold of the night creeping in. They were cold and tired. Halt signaled to the other two that they had to get back. He planned on resting and eating for an hour. When it would be really dark, he and Gilan would scout it out.

"Ready?" Halt asked the other Ranger. After an affirmative nod they started to walk slowly and silently in the direction of the enemy's camp. Halt could feel his heart beating in his chest, but his breathing was under control. After a while they noticed a vague light shining through the trees, the noticed the scent of a campfire's smoke. They were getting closer. The first thing Halt saw when they arrived at the place was Will. He was thin, pale like a ghost, and had bruises everywhere on his body. Halt fought the urge to run down to him, his son. Because next to Will was a big tent, and they knew the enemies would be in there. Slowly they went around the clearing, and made their way to Will. But just as they went to untie him, a man came out of the tent. They saw him squinting in the diminishing light, but then he spotted them.

"Alda, Jerome! Will's friend is here."

At that the other two people came running out and grabbed their swords. Halt already had an arrow on his bow and shot the first men down. But when he wanted to shoot the next, Alda appeared in front of him, sword pointed at his chest. But as the men was about to stab, Gilan stepped in front of him. The sound of sword on sword rang through the silent forest. While Halt grabbed his saxe knife and went after Jerome. Alda felt the adrenaline rush through his veins, as he battled a worthy opponent. He had been training for a long time and he was a good swordsman, although he would be a bad knight. But Gilan had trained all his life and had the upper hand. Alda needed to regain the upper hand again. Suddenly he took a big step backwards. This action almost made the Ranger stumble, but the man kept his balance. But it pulled him out of his focused series of stabbings and thrusts which he use to embattle him. Gilan saw the sword getting closer to him while he kept his defences going. He was afraid of what would happen.

Halt caught each attack with his knives, while again and again he tried to stab the attacker. Each time he almost managed, but time was running out, he saw Gilan got into trouble too. So he changed his tactics. When he had found the right moment, he ran to the tree line and grabbed his bow again, which he had thrown aside when Alda had come at him. Quickly he shot Jerome and pointed the next arrow on Alda. With a fluent movement he released the arrow. He saw him stop attacking Gilan, and felt relieved.

Halt made his way to the broken boy tied at the tree. He released him from the fraying rope. Will opened his eyes, very slowly, and saw the face of Halt. He thought it was a dream, because he knew it was unreal. The pain was real, Alda and his gang were real, but getting rescued wasn't possible. Halt saw it in the glazed eyes, that Will didn't believe it. So he murmured softly over and over again that he was safe now, that he will get back to Redmont, that he will see Alyss again. After he said this, Will eyes widened. With all the strength he had left he grabbed Halt's cloak. He pleaded to Halt.

"Please, find Alyss, she is captured too. Please."

**That was it. No, don't panic, it's not the end of the story yet. Almost, but not yet. Hope you liked it.**


	14. Chapter 14 The end

**Last chapter guys. Hope you like it!  
**

**Enjoy**

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**Chapter 14**

Halt didn't understand. Alyss was at Redmont, right? But Will seemed so sure in his sorry state. He kept telling them over and over again that the men had Alyss too. Will said she had been captured days and days ago, but Halt had just seen her yesterday morning. So he came to the conclusion they must have said it to Will as a way of torture. Everybody knew Will loves his soon-to-be-wife.

Gilan was extremely relieved to get his best friend and brother (if not in blood) back. They finally found Will. He was wounded and his spirit was broken, but they would patch that up. It would heal with time, they all knew. At last he was going home again. Horace seemed exuberant too. He was worried about his best friend's health, but happy. There was continually a grin plastered on his face, just as on his own face, Gilan imagined. Even Halt had cracked a small smile.

Will was relieved they finally found him, but at the same time he was terrified about what might have happened to Alyss. But now he could go and save her himself. He noticed they were almost at the castle. Will rode with Horace, since Kicker wasn't laden down with full armour. The horse barely noticed the extra weight, especially since Will was starved past the point of passing out. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of Alyss. Horace needed to steady him, since Will had almost fallen off Kicker twice already. He saw the castle coming closer, looming ahead majestically. The trees around him came in lesser amounts, for safety reasons. The sun had reached the sky and was warming their faces. Will felt Horace's strong hand on his shoulder. He was inches from sleep, lulled by the pattern of the horse and the feeling of safety. He tiredly closed his eyes.

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Alyss rushed in the chamber she was told Will was in.

"Where is he, is he doing okay?" Her normal, ever-calm façade dropped. She had a blush on her cheeks from running, her eyes searched the room. When they fell on her boyfriend, she was shocked. He was pale white, extremely thin and his bare torso was filled with cuts and bruises. The healer was working on bandaging everything up, cleaning the cuts so they wouldn't get infected. She went to help him. Pauline came in behind Alyss.

Halt had brought Will straight to the healer. Malcolm was glad to see Will again, and went to work immediately. He had to clean Will's body before he could even start on giving medical attention. Will stayed asleep through the whole ordeal. He didn't even wake when Alyss came in and started stroking his hair.

Wills head felt fuzzy. He felt warm, for the first time in weeks. All he had felt before was that dreadful cold eating him, consuming his insides. He could feel he was in a bed, and someone was stroking his hair. He felt content. After a while the memories of the day before came rushing in and he fought to open his eyes. After blinking and squinting for a while he could see. In the room was a dim light but for his eyes it was still very bright. Someone sat next to him, it took him a while but then he saw it was Alyss, his wife. He brought his hand to her cheek. She was startled but seemed relieved.

"Alyss?" he croaked out. She nodded, and he felt waves of relief washing over him. "Were you saved too?" Will asked, concern filling his warm brown eyes. This made her look at him in confusion. She told him she was never captured, but was worried when he didn't believe her. "They told me, they said…I was sure you were. How?" He looked so broken. Alyss made him drink some tea and soup which had been left for when Will woke up. He devoured them hungrily as Alyss told her tale of what she had done when he was gone. Most of it involved worrying. At the end, Will's eyelids were drooping closed. She kept stroking his brown hair until they both fell asleep.

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Will had been nursed to health by Malcolm and was allowed to go back to work. He had been at the cabin for a while now, together with his wife, as they were married now. His physical wounds had been healed weeks ago and he was training hard to get back into shape. _He was back,_ Alyss thought. They had also made sure all of the poison was out of his system, and that he was eating all the right things and drinking the disgusting (in Will's opinion) teas Malcolm had told him to. He was, under no circumstances, to drink coffee. Other than that, they got along very well. They had talked for hours about his experiences. He felt great.

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Alyss had her head on Wills shoulder, sitting next to him on the bench on the veranda. It was a wonderfully warm night, Will had his legs up on the table and his lap filled with important looking letters, all the important looking seals untouched. Instead he was gently cuddling Alyss, one hand in her soft, shiny blond hair, his other hand in hers. On both their faces was a faint smile and in both their hearts was the feeling of love. Together they looked at the fading sunlight, which was lighting their faces after battling his way through the trees. They sat like that for a long, long time, revelling in each other's company.

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**That was it, the end. Sorry if it seemed rushed, but if I had to talk about his whole healing proces, it would be the same as the first chapters. Who saw what I did in the last paragraph? Cookie for those who have the right answer. :D**

**I hope you enjoyed this story. I did, now I have to go plot bunny hunting again...  
**

**-Elsforever-  
**


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